republicans have not been part of the " fiscal cliff " discussions in recent days suggesting much still needs to be done if a deal is to be struck and passed through congress by the end of the year. >> sam garner stated that the government may go out of money on december 31st. he stated that the government may not have enough to spend for next month. >> approval ratings for president obama and his cabinet are mixed. a new poll shows 52 percent of people surveyed approved of the president's performance while 43 percent disapprove. but as president joe biden's numbers are in line with the president. 54 percent approve of his job performance while 40 percent do not. first lady michelle obama has a 73 percent approval rating. all going secretary of state hillary clinton is also popular with a 66 percent approval rating. >> a new gallup poll shows a majority of americans supported stricter gun laws but most are against banning assault weapons. 58 percent of americans now say that they do support stricter gun laws. that is up from 43% in october 2011. 48% of the public say that they want to e